A train-view of a flyover at Zoo Interlocking in Philadelphia. Brian Solomon Question: Where are some other mainline flyovers in the U.S.? — Frank Klos, San Diego, Calif. Answer: A flyover is grade-separated track arrangement used to keep busy lines fluid by avoiding the need for conflicting crossover movements, often built in conjunction with junctions […]
Kadee Quality Products Co. HO scale assorted freight cars HO scale freight cars Assorted freight cars. Toledo, Peoria & Western Pullman-Standard 40-foot PS-1 boxcar with 7-foot, 5-panel Superior doors (built 1953, repainted 6/62), $39.95. Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Association of American Railroads 50-foot standard two-bay hopper with lump-egg coal load (built 1949), $40.95. Injection-molded […]
WASHINGTON — A systemic safety failure by state and federal agencies caused the fatal December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train on its first run on a new route in Washington state, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday. The derailment investigation revealed a complex set of factors, including the pressure to put the new […]
MONTREAL — Rob Reilly, a 30-year veteran of the rail industry with Santa Fe and BNSF, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer at Canadian National, effective July 1. The railroad also announced the promotion of Michael Foster to executive vice president and chief information and technology officer, effective June 3. Reilly, […]
BNSF Railway ES44C4 No. 8338 works at the lead of a freight train. The locomotive’s C4 trucks have only two powered axles in the three-axle trucks arranged in a powered-unpowered-powered arrangement known as A-1-A. Tom Danneman Question: What is the purpose of the A-1-A C4 truck on the BNSF Railway Evolution Series diesels, and how […]
What appears to be an Omaha Orange and Pullman Green Great Northern Railway EMD SD9 in 2017 actually is a BNSF Railway unit that had been built in 1959 for Chicago, Burlintgon & Quincy subsidiary Colorado & Southern. For several years, BNSF has assigned Great Northern “GN” reporting marks to some older diesels generally assigned […]
Atlas N scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive Sound or no sound has been one of the basic questions when buying new locomotives. If you bought an engine without sound, but later wanted to add a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder, one of the hurdles was finding a place for the speaker, especially in N scale. […]
BNSF Railway distributed power pushes an eastbound empty coal train at Hathaway, Mont., in June 2014. Tom Danneman Q In two recent issues, Trains stated that distributed power helps maintain trainline air for brakes. How can this be without giving up lead unit control of the brakes? – Jay Noyes, Lowell, Ind. A In distributed […]
A BNSF oil train heads west through the Columbia Gorge in Washington. Washington state and North Dakota are sparring over a Washington law that would block the transport of Bakken oil by rail. Lance Lassen OLYMPIA, Wash. — The legislative debate over a Washington law limiting crude oil shipments by rail from North Dakota’s Bakken […]
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SDP40F. Amtrak (phase 1 and 3 schemes); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (blue and yellow warbonnet); and BNSF Ry. (Maersk Sealand in one road number, Santa Fe patchout in two numbers). Four numbers per scheme unless noted. Prototype-specific details, factory-installed and painted wire grab irons, and McHenry scale couplers. Direct-current […]
Amtrak’s Freighthouse Square station in Tacoma is awaiting the return of trains to the Point Defiance Bypass. The release of the NTSB’s report on a 2017 derailment could hasten that process. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will release its report on the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades passenger […]
CP train No. 473 heads south through downtown Davenport along the newly raised main line. The swollen Mississippi River lies behind, its traditional bank is beyond the tree line above the train. Chris Guss DAVENPORT, Iowa – Canadian Pacific has reopened its main line through Davenport this week after being closed for almost a week […]
